My sister laughs at me when I make the devilled eggs every holiday. I use vegan mayo and she cannot understand the logic. “But they’re eggs, so why not use regular mayo?”

It makes sense to me though.

I fell in love with the texture of vegan mayo years ago when I was mostly vegan. It’s lightweight. And the ingredients in my favorite brands are also free of soy and hydrogenated oils and sugar.

Preparing a traditional holiday meal while sticking to a gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free diet is easy with some of my favorite products I use all year long.

Miyokos Vegan ButterWhen I first encountered this vegan butter at a tasting at Trader Joe’s, I scrutinized the ingredient list for soy. I walked around the store. I took one off the dairy shelf and read the package again. I walked back to the woman doing the demo. “You know this is soy free, right?” She said she “hadn’t noticed.” “That’s no small detail,” I told her.

To find a butter substitute that is dairy and soy free is revolutionary. This product has changed my kitchen. There is no other butter substitute I’ve experienced that comes this close to the flavor and performance of real butter. This year I will be rubbing my turkey with it, sautéing onions for my sage dressing and stirring it into the mashed potatoes. ​

Enjoy Life Chocolate ChipsI’m not sure if I will make a chocolate dessert this year, but anytime I need chocolate chips, this brand is non-negotiable for me. It’s the only brand I’ve found that is soy free. The flavor and performance of this product is also indistinguishable from regular brands.

Sir Kensington’s Fabanaise or Follow Your Heart Soy-Free VegenaiseThese are the only two mayonnaise substitutes I use these days. I prefer Fabanaise between the two. It’s body comes from aquafaba, the gelatinous cooking liquid from chic peas. It’s texture and flavor are perfect. And there’s a Chipotle version that is not safe to have around, it’s that good.The soy-free version of Vegenaise is my second choice, but that doesn’t make it any less perfect. ​

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free cornbread mixI like this mix for my cornbread sage dressing. You can follow the recipe on the back but substitute the following for the 2 eggs: 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed plus 6 tablespoons water (stir those together and let sit for a few minutes). I recommend adding in a teaspoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to give it a little more lift as well.

South River chic pea misoThis is a soy-free product that I keep in my refrigerator at all times. You can stir in a little to soups and sauces to add the umami flavor we all crave. But for the holidays, I will be using it to make a soy-free, dairy-free cashew cream sauce for my mashed potatoes and a sweet potato gratin.

When we put labels on our diet, we may create unnecessary limitations for ourselves. After many years of defining myself by what kind of diet I was following, I found a sort of liberation in the stripping away of those labels.

I can tell you the precise moment I decided to stop labeling my diet. I was standing in my kitchen near the refrigerator, making a chocolate cake - a recipe of my favorite TV chef. It was December and I had been binge watching her shows, getting some rest on the couch.

She is one of those celebrity chefs who uses every ingredient with wild abandon, without apology. Butter…heavy cream…bacon: all of the foods that had become "evil" in my mind.

But here I was, whisking together white flour and sugar with the butter and cream and feeling something I hadn’t felt in awhile: free.

LETTING GO OF THE LABELSThat moment was pivotal for me. It was in that moment of abandon that I saw how caged I had become in my own dogma around food choices. I realized that I never felt free because I was always judging every ingredient as good or bad, and respectively, myself and my choices around them.

Immersed joyfully in the moment of making a cake, it became clear that all of these self imposed labels were no longer serving me. Having been vegetarian for 12 years, then a carnivore, then South Beach, then a vegan, then vegetarian again, then Paleo for awhile, I was exhausted from trying to fit into a mold.

None of them fit anymore.

The truth is that the label itself rarely kept me within the confines of the diet anyway. I strayed often no matter what particular regime I was following at the moment. In retrospect, this was just another sign that the restrictions weren’t working for me.

The story doesn’t end, unfortunately, with me discovering that I, too, could cook and eat like the uninhibited TV chef without consequences. I gained 8 pounds in the month after that initial liberation.

Luckily there was another profound experience around the corner…..

THE ROLE OF FUNCTIONAL MEDICINEWhen you visit a functional medicine doctor, you are signing up to have them look at almost every aspect of your life in their quest to understand your health. They will never give you a pill and send you away.

What sets functional medicine apart from conventional is the belief that all aspects of our lives, as well as all systems of our bodies, are inter connected. Each one influences the other.

So a functional medicine doctor may test your blood, order diagnostic testing like X rays or prescribe a necessary pharmaceutical. But they will also look at your sleep habits, any emotional traumas you may be dealing with, how much exercise you get, food sensitivities and much more.

It is a truly holistic approach to health.

In January I finally got an appointment with one of the country’s renowned functional medicine clinics, after being on a wait list for over a year. Both my daughter and I had been struggling for a few years with a set of strange symptoms that none of our local doctors could diagnose. Between us, we had seen over 20 doctors up to that point.

So aside from taking 14 vials of blood, assigning me a health coach and prescribing various supplements, the functional medicine doctor insisted I do an Elimination Diet as a part of her discovery process.

WHAT IS AN ELIMINATION DIET?A typical Elimination Diet works like this: you take out the “questionable” foods for a period of time, two weeks or so, and then one by one, you reintroduce each food group. The process takes up to two months because you need space between each reintroduction.

Within the reintroduction phase, you pay careful attention to any symptoms that may come up. Those could be digestive problems, skin breakouts, itchiness all over, brain fog, headaches and so on.

So while we waited for all of the lab tests to come back, I dutifully began the two month diet that restricted the following foods: eggs, dairy, gluten, soy, alcohol, sugar, caffeine, shellfish and corn.

IT’S NOT EASY….The first couple of weeks were hell. I was irritable, hungry all the time, not happy. I called my health coach and complained. But around the third week, things started to shift. Weight started to drop off. I felt more alert. I felt less inflamed in my body.

And I completely immersed myself in discovering foods that would make me as happy as the ones I wasn’t eating. Food is my craft; I am not going to eat plain food.

THE ROLE OF INFLAMMATIONSmack in the middle of my elimination diet experience, blood results came back and my daughter and I were both diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease with a few little co-infections alongside. Tick born illnesses are bacterial in nature and there is some thought that they dwarf into an autoimmune type syndrome when left untreated.

Following the diagnosis, I began to understand the connection between certain foods and the symptoms I was experiencing.

That connection is inflammation.

​In a perfectly healthy body, food sensitivity will also cause an inflammatory response. It is often subtle or it can be pronounced enough that the person can easily identify the connection.So someone with a sensitivity or intolerance to say, milk, may experience some gastro intestinal issues if they eat it. This may lead to a period of discomfort; but it may be something that is manageable over a lifetime.But for someone dealing with other health issues, food sensitivities can intensely flame the fire of inflammation the body is already fighting. I realized that certain foods were exacerbating my symptoms. The Elimination Diet helped me discover that.

DISCOVERING THE “ME” DIETBut I also found something else after that two month commitment: the eating routine that works best for me cannot be easily defined or captured in one or two words. In other words, there is no perfect label for my diet.When you do an Elimination Diet, your biggest obsession becomes: what food will I introduce back into my diet first? This is always the food you miss the most, the one you depend on most in your daily life. (Another valuable piece of information you get from this experience.)My first food back: eggs. I couldn’t wait. Against the advice of my health coach, I knew that eggs were not causing me harm; but on the other hand, that eggs were a serious source of nutrition for me. And as I cook, I love them as a versatile ingredient.As the weeks went on and I tested one food after the other, I was learning invaluable things about myself. My body is ok with corn. Great! I can go out for tacos once in a while with friends. My body is ok with shellfish. Great! Shrimp tacos.

I found that my body would have strong cravings for red meat every few months or so; and if I obliged it for a day or two, I would feel more energetic and the cravings would stop and I'd not need it again for awhile. I found that my body is not ok with dairy, however. I finally understood what made my joints hurt randomly. My body is not ok with soy. Shocking! I had no idea that it was soy making me feel itchy all over and seriously inflamed.

So one food group by one, I crafted my own best diet, for my body, at this time. It doesn't fit into a neat little label. It may not look like someone else's perfect diet. It doesn't require me to pass judgement on myself for choices I may make in the moment. If I choose to have something with soy once in a awhile, no grief. I know my symptoms may flare. And I know that tomorrow is a new day and that soy is not bad and neither am I for enjoying it.

TEMPLATE FOR LIFELONG EXPLORATIONGoing through a journey like the Elimination Diet teaches more than just what foods are best for your body, it gives you a template for continual discovery. Once you have learned how to clear out your diet for a period of time, reintroduce a food, pay attention to your body’s reaction and adjust your eating accordingly, this is a process you can use throughout your life. In fact, the first phase of the Elimination Diet may just be the beginning for you, if you continue to deal with symptoms. You may get through the Elimination Diet and discover one or two sensitivities or none at all, and yet all of your problems may not resolve.There may still be underlying sensitivities. For example, it was several months after my own journey, that I discovered I have a strange reaction to black pepper.

​It is the deeper connection to my body through the Elimination Diet work that allows me to make these discoveries. ​

Would you like support through your own Elimination Diet experience? Next week I will be introducing a six week coaching program to guide you through the Exploration Diet, my pet name for the therapeutic Elimination Diet. It is truly a journey of discovering food sensitivities, decreasing inflammation and crafting your own personal best way of eating. For more information ahead of time, email me at rhonakamar@me.com

Hummus has succumbed to the fusion evolution. You may now find hundreds of variations that have not a single ingredient common to the original puree of chic peas, tahini, garlic and lemon.

Hummus is the Arabic word for chic pea. So when someone from the Middle East - where the dish originates - says hummus, they always mean “with chic peas”. (Or garbanzo bean - same thing.) That could mean a dish with the whole legume as an ingredient or it could be the silky puree that has catapulted hummus onto the world stage as some kind of dip.

The transition of hummus to mean any pureed dip, where cooks take great liberties with the ingredients, is far from an unusual phenomenon in the culinary world. Look at curry, for example: it started as a sauce and has spawned an impressive worldwide lineage of variations that are far from its original self.

This is the nature of cuisine and a beautiful thing, if you ask me. Why not allow an accepted idea to morph and evolve through the contribution of innovative ingredients, flavors, techniques? When we approach food, and life, this way, our possibilities are forever expanding.

However, I do believe in maintaining some integrity of the original dish. When I am taking liberties with a traditional recipe, I will always include some key element of the original. So you will never find a hummus recipe from me with neither chic pea nor tahini. The tiny bit of Puritan in me insists.

Otherwise, anything is possible.

​Winter squash as well as sweet potatoes make ideal substitutions for chic peas when reinventing hummus. The orange flesh of sweet potatoes, pumpkin or butternut bring a vibrancy that chic peas cannot. I love the sweetness and color they contribute. The rich, bitter silkiness of tahini shares an earthiness that bring the two into a harmony that just makes sense. I prefer these two together to chic pea hummus any day.

I love any recipe that calls for roasted squash or sweet potatoes. There are few easier tasks in the kitchen than throwing one of these onto a baking sheet and into the oven to be forgotten for a bit. (And no peeling required!) Roasting either of these two winter vegetables with the end goal of pureeing means an almost irreverence to the kitchen timer. Let them go awhile (up to an hour) until they’re so soft inside their skins, your job is mostly done for you. Let them cool to the touch, then scoop out the glossy flesh. Discard the skins.

Below is a recipe that simply uses sweet potatoes as a replacement for chic peas. Otherwise the tahini, garlic and lemon juice are standard. A little salt, of course. And a bit of cumin.

​A further suggestion is given for taking the sweet potato hummus to the next level of exotic: a Persian incarnation. I’ll go this extra step when I am trying to impress someone. Pomegranate seeds are little jewels, anyway; so they alone make a huge impact. And they’re in season now.

RECIPEPreheat oven to 350

On a baking sheet, place:3 pounds sweet potatoes or any kind of sweet winter squash, like butternutYou can leave the sweet potatoes whole. Squash will need to be cut in half and baked cut side down. A little spray of olive oil on the pan will keep it from sticking.

Bake for 1 hour or so, until a fork pierces the skin easily.Let the sweet potatoes cool slightly and then scoop out the flesh into a food processor or high speed blender.

Process until smooth. Taste and add more of any of the seasonings to your liking.You could stop here and enjoy this version of the sweet potato hummus with a little olive oil on top, or swirl in some pesto.

PERSIAN VERSIONOr to add the Persian influence, process the following with the ingredients above:

What is prana, people often ask me when they see the name of my website. I’ve found it best, most of the time anyway, to give the short answer: energy. Prana is energy.

To go deeper though, prana is the Sanskrit word for vital life force energy. The Chinese call it Chi - same thing. It is the energy that flows through all life. I came to see it as the same divine intelligence that causes a flower to bloom, the source of innate wisdom we all possess.

We don’t have to do anything to make this energy be there. We were born with it. But there are many practices that can increase the quality of that energy and our connection to it. Every action is either enhancing the quality of our energy, or creating a block to its healthy flow. And when we become more aware of ways to enrich our prana, we become more connected to our own bodies as well as our own spirit.

Through the healing journey I have been on the past five years, I began to collect a set of practices I now call my Prana Practices. All of these things served to connect me in a more conscious way to the energy in my body, which I believe has allowed me to learn to thrive despite a chronic illness.

THE BACK STORY….When I became sick five years ago, and even as I struggled for years for a diagnosis, I did not know that I was already on a healing journey. I did not realize that as the illness took hold, the healing had begun.

That is because the healing actually lives in the practices I’ve had to cultivate to be able to thrive despite the illness. The most powerful part of this whole experience for me is becoming highly aware of the role energy plays in my life.

Before getting sick, I had already begun to have a few experiences that connected me to the beautiful energy that is present in all life. The summer before the tick bite that took me down in the fall, I was walking daily under a huge canopy of 100-year-old trees in a nearby park. I began to feel their presence in a new way.

The walks became about more than just physical exercise. I began to feel a connection to the energy in these trees. I imagined myself taking in the chlorophyll from these giant oaks and maples, with sun dabbling through their leaves, and felt that somehow, I was absorbing a share of their energy. Woo woo, I know; but true.

As a food obsessed person, I became interested in how certain kinds of food contain more live energy and how focusing on those foods in my diet could increase the quality of energy in my body. I experimented with eating more raw foods and drinking green juice every day. And I saw my energy levels soar.

That summer I also spent a solid four days resting in the sun at the beach and returned home filled with incredible energy and vitality. It was the first time I understood why people love the ocean so much. I felt so alive.

Then in November, I got sick.

When you’re struck with an illness, you don’t realize you are starting a journey. Every day you think you will get better, that this is temporary. But as time goes on and symptoms continue, you settle into an acceptance of your new normal and begin to find ways to have a better life today, in this moment, as you continue to move towards complete healing.

Aside from seeking help from over 20 doctors, taking various supplements, sleeping A LOT, and some of the usual things we do when we get sick, here are some of the things I started to do that have made all of the difference in my health today. These did not occur in any sort of linear fashion and I can’t really say one is more important than another.

Sometimes I find I need one more than the others for a while. They all live in a sort of toolbox, from where I can grab help at any given moment.

PRANA PRACTICES….

Nature TherapyAlmost three years into the illness, with little improvement, I moved into a new home with a back yard that is surrounded by huge trees. Having lived in the middle of a busy business district for years before, I had no idea what an impact the quiet of my new back yard was going to make on my health.

There were days when I could barely function, but I would drag myself outside to sit in the sun. I would close my eyes, and with the sun on my face, I would practice just listening to the sounds of the birds, the insects, the movement of the trees. I could feel the breeze on me. And every cell in my body seemed to take a big sigh.

I learned later that this practice is called Shinrin-Yoku in Japan, where doctors prescribe time in nature as a part of a healing protocol. The term means “forest bathing” and its power rests in engaging all of our senses to reconnect to nature.

An Aboriginal tribe in Australia calls this Dadirri, or deep listening to nature.

“From a physiological perspective, significant empirical research findings point to a reduction in human heart rate and blood pressure and an increase in relaxation for participants exposed to natural (green spaces).” This was the conclusion of an August 2017 study on Shinrin-yoku and other nature therapy practices by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

We don’t need huge amounts of time to experience the benefits of connecting with nature. Anytime I find myself in the presence of a beautiful sunset, or parked under an old tree in the city, or driving by the Ohio River on my way downtown, I can pause to acknowledge that beauty and feel a similar impact on my well being.

SunshineAlthough sunlight is an integral part of the practice of spending time in nature, it deserves its own category. I am in love with sunlight. And I find that paying attention to it on a daily basis is a practice of remembering how incredible this source of energy is to our lives.

Maybe it’s the photographer in me, but I find incredible joy in witnessing the sun as it falls across my kitchen counters late afternoon. Or when I find my dog napping in a sliver of sunlight falling on the living room floor. He is always seeking the warmth of the sunlight. I have countless photos to prove it.

Sunlight is considered one of the main sources of prana in the ancient belief systems that encourage daily short periods of time in the sun. When I take walks in the sun I pay attention to how good it feels on my face. In the midst of my worry or not feeling well, I am able to feel my connection to something bigger than myself.

The sun, wherever I encounter it, has become a huge source of comfort to me.

MusicThere is an underlying theme through all of these practices: mindfulness. Any practice we undertake that allows us to become completely absorbed in the present moment can have incredible healing affects. It is when we are in this state of mind that our parasympathetic nervous system can relax, slowing down our heart rate, reducing cortisol and inflammatory responses. (Interesting study here.) True healing cannot take place when the body is in a constant state of heightened anxiety.

Listening to music as a form of meditation was a new experience for me. I mostly choose genres with sounds like ocean waves with Tibetan gongs or crystal bowls in the background. Maybe you prefer classical, or jazz or a thousand other possibilities.

The key is to pay attention to how your body is responding to the music you choose. The practice is done in a chair or lying down, making sure the body is completely comfortable. And headphones are a must. Once you settle in and choose your music, pay attention to your heart rate, your sense of calm.

If the music creates any sense of anxiety or stimulation, then simply select something else. I switch up my music frequently.

During the time that I was very sick, this practice became a source of comfort. I would settle into my bed and check that every part of my body felt supported, and tune in to every chord of the music. I found a greater ability to completely surrender when I listened to sounds of nature, like the ocean waves or forest sounds. (Sensing a theme here?)

This new connection to the power of music led to another practice that continues to be of great support to me: dancing.

DancingAs I explored the affects of music on my body to relax, I discovered that certain types of music inspired my body to move, something I wasn’t doing a lot of when I was very sick. When you don’t feel well, movement falls way low on the priority list.

Drum music - especially African, Middle Eastern, Native American - and the slow rhythmic beat that mimics your relaxed heart beat allow you to reconnect to your sensual self, which isn’t always easy when you don’t feel well. Alone in your room, at your own pace, dancing can be a powerful grounding practice. It reminds you that you are alive.

Energy from othersOne of the most beautiful aspects of our humanity is our connection to others. And not just in relationship to those we love. As we go about our lives every day, interacting with loved ones and strangers alike, we bring our energy to those interactions. And we are constantly absorbing the energy of others.

If I had to pick one of these practices as the most impactful on my overall well-being, it would be the practice of recognizing how other people’s energy affects my own. If someone has very frenetic energy, I will start to feel anxious. When someone is in a negative state of mind, I might find myself mimicking that feeling, when moments before I was fine.

The practice here is in the recognition of what is happening in your body in the presence of others. It is not a judgment, because all of us have our moments. It is not to say that we can only be around people who are always positive and upbeat. It is simply another mindfulness practice: how is this person making me feel in this moment?

As you become more aware of how you are being affected by another, you can start to make choices that protect your energy. Perhaps by walking away, taking a time out. If it is a persistent problem, you can decide to limit your interaction with that person. And you can decide to spend more time with the people who make you feel good, whose energy is soothing to you.

As a part of my healing, learning to tune in the affect of others’ energy helps me to preserve my much-needed energy.

Meditation + VisualizationI learned to meditate in college. I was drawn to various Eastern religions, so a curiosity around meditation naturally followed. Sitting on a cushion in a little make shift Buddhist temple a few miles from campus, I was fidgety and embarrassed.

But I kept at the practice and over the years, it has saved my life a hundred times. Learning to use the sound of my breath to completely quiet my mind means I can completely relax my body. A relaxed mind/body is fertile ground for healing.

There are countless ways to meditate. There’s the formal practice of sitting on a cushion, cross-legged, palms facing up. That’s one way. But a meditation practice can be as impactful sitting propped up in a chair, or lying flat on your back in bed.

It is ok to put yourself in a position where you feel comfortable, so your mind has one less thing to obsess over. Then you can focus on your breathing, so your mind can become completely still. And in that stillness, all kinds of wisdom can come to the surface.

The act of focused, exaggerated breathing has powerful calming affects on the nervous system. And it is something you can access anytime, anywhere.

Visualization is a fun and empowering extension of meditation, where we have cleared the riff raff of thoughts and intentionally replace them with visions of what we desire for our lives.

“Hold a vision of yourself aglow with energy and vitality, act in harmony with that vision, and you will grow to embody it,” said James Allen, author of As A ManThinketh.

Working with tahini is an act of faith and perseverance. You must be able to hold fast to your conviction that everything will turn out fine. ​

When it's fresh, sesame seed butter is smooth and a bit runny. That can deceive you into believing that making a sauce with it will be a breeze. (Not-so fresh tahini can be dry and clumpy, like the last bit of peanut butter at the bottom of the jar. It will require extra patience.)

Jumping into the process of working with tahini will teach you things about yourself. Are you willing to keep going towards your destination or will you throw up your hands, give up? Will you cry and perceive yourself as a failure? Or will you declare yourself as capable as centuries of cooks who have made it through, and persevere?

​Tahini is bitter on its own; so most recipes are going to call for the addition of water, citrus juice or oil. But when tahini meets liquid, it typically seizes up... appears to break.... becomes something scary, nothing like the lusciousness it was moments before.

Heed my advice: keep whisking. Don't take no for an answer. Add a bit more of your liquid. Whisk some more. And watch the clumpy mess return to its former smooth self.

When working with tahini, always take the liberty to add more water or other liquid than the recipe calls for, but go slowly. Add a little at a time and then whisk. You get to decide how thin you want the sauce to be.

Arab-inspired Prana BowlThe recipe below is a traditional Arabic tahini sauce that is often added to a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes or cooked chic peas. It can also be used to dress greens on a salad; like the Prana lunch bowl pictured below. To assemble the Prana Bowl: smear some hummus on the plate and throw in some cooked chic peas, dried figs or dates, cucumbers and tomatoes. Toss the creamy lemon mint dressing with fresh kale and/ or lettuce and pile the dressed greens in the middle. Some toasted pine nuts and zatar or sumac sprinkled on top would elevate the Middle Eastern vibe.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the tahini. Slowly whisk in the water, continually whisking until the tahini has returned to a smooth consistency. Whisk in the other ingredients. Taste and adjust any of the seasonings as you like.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Product recommendation: organic tahini

I love messing around with super nutritious esoteric ingredients, using them to reinvent more familiar dishes in a cleaner way. I’ve used chia seeds to try to get somewhere close to my grandmother’s banana pudding. I’ve used flaxseeds to mimic an egg. I am completely comfortable with the idea of pureed cashews as a “cheese.” In the pursuit of optimal health, I am not afraid to take risks.

But sometimes I wish it could be like the old days, when we didn’t have to think so hard about what foods were healthy; we just had a repertoire of dishes that were familiar and we never questioned them. My grandmother had a repertoire of family heirloom recipes built entirely around seasonality, with little regard to nutrient content. I envy her free reign with butter and cream atop all of those garden vegetables; all that bacon grease stored on the stovetop in a coffee can.

As our knowledge of the connection between our food and health expands, we are forced to look at our family’s traditional foods with new eyes. And so for people like me, with an extra keen interest in nutrition and a willingness to experiment, things can get interesting.

​Socca is an example of a dish that makes me happy because it hits all the notes of a clean diet, but it is a time-honored classic. Chic pea flour is hardly a familiar ingredient here in the states, but it’s been used since ancient times all over the rest of the world. There are variations of this crepe like, oven baked, four ingredient flatbread in Italy (farinata or torta de ceci)…in Gibraltar (calentita)…in Uruguay (faina) and northern India (cheela).

It is gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and soy free only by coincidence, not design, making it so easy for me to adore.

In fact, I wish more people had its combination of old world charm with ​new age sensibility.

Chic pea flour, also know as Besan or Gram flour, can be found in any Indian grocery store or ordered on line. I have started to see it in regular grocery stores here and there. It is a denser, heavier flour so take the time to sift it before adding in the water.

You're making a pancake batter so a whisk is your tool of choice. The batter will be thin and should be lump free. If sifting the dry flour didn't yield you a smooth batter, go ahead and put the wet batter through a sieve as well.

Rosemary is a traditional Provencal herb of choice, but there are no limitations here. I have used chives, cilantro or thyme. The objective with the fresh herbs is to lend flavor notes to the Socca. (And I like the phytonutrients they lend as well.) Chic pea flour has a bitter earthy flavor that needs balance from the floral herbs.

It is customary to let the Socca batter sit for several hours before cooking. I have used the batter immediately and seen little difference in the results. But I like that I can make the batter ahead of time - even in the morning before heading to work - and cook the Socca whenever I'm ready to eat.

The key to Socca is a super hot pan. So set your oven to at least 450 and let it preheat. Once it is preheated, heat a dry 9 to 12 inch cast iron pan for about 5 minutes.

Remove the heated pan from the oven and swirl in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Then the batter. Make sure you coat the pan well with the batter. The oil will mix in and float on top. That's what you want.

Put the Socca on the top oven rack and let it bake for about 5 minutes until it is well set. Then turn your broiler on for another 2 minutes or so until you see the top browning. Carefully remove from the oven. Slide a thin spatula around the edges and then underneath to loosen; and then onto a plate or cutting board. Always serve Socca immediately.

Sift the flour through a fine sieve into a mixing bowl. Slowly add the water while whisking out any lumps. If the batter is still lumpy, strain it through the fine sieve another time. The batter needs to be smooth.

Whisk in the salt, pepper and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Set the batter aside to rest while you preheat the oven, or up to several hours.

Set rack as close to the top of the oven as will accommodate your pan. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. When the oven is preheated, set the pan inside to heat, about 3 minutes.

Stir the fresh herbs into the batter. Remove the pan from the oven and swirl in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Coat the pan well. Pour in the batter and swirl it around to coat the pan.

Bake the socca for about 7 minutes, until it is well set and then turn the oven to broil. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes until a brown crust forms on the top.

Carefully remove from the oven. Slide a thin spatula around the edges to loosen and then underneath the bread and slide onto a cutting board. Cut into triangles and serve immediately.

product recommendation: organic chic pea flour

There is something about this dish that really plays on my fantasy of living in the French countryside. It’s a traditional Provencal summer dish, the ingredients of which could be gathered solely from one well-planned garden in July and throughout most of August.The ingredients are not exclusive to the south of France; my own grandmother would have grown the traditional zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes and peppers in her garden in rural Kentucky.

It’s the abundance of herbs that inspire the romance around this dish for me. (My grandmother didn’t grow many herbs). Any combination of summer herbs: basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary are typical. I’ve read some French cooks even add fresh lavender, which I’ve yet to try. Some fantasies may best be kept elusive.

Perhaps the romance lies in how ratatouille represents what is best about French country cooking: simplicity. It’s really just a vegetable stew. There is a brilliant humility about it. ​

Like so many other iconic national dishes, ratatouille has some essential ingredients - eggplant, zucchini and tomato - along with possible other elements that vary from cook to cook. These elements are usually guarded like a dark family secret.

My recipe includes balsamic vinegar: not a traditional ingredient to ratatouille, although some cooks do use it. It is a sweet and tart contribution.

The vibrant colors of the ingredients reflect the depth of phytonutrients inherent in this dish: yet another reason to love it. For example: the deep purple eggplant (anthocyanin), the red tomatoes (lycopene), and the green zucchinis (chlorophyll). Instead of the usual red or green bell peppers, look for the orange or purple or yellow for beta-carotene and Vitamin C (source here).The aromatics (garlic and onions) bring allyl sulfides and bioflavonoids, for cancer prevention (source here). And those beautiful herbs I love bring in polyphenols and endless other beneficial nutrients (source here). I think it would be fair to call ratatouille a power dish - nutritionally speaking.

​You can put a ratatouille together in various ways. I love the beautiful photos of the dish done with layers of sliced vegetables arranged in a circle, like a tian. But I am suspicious of how well the flavors meld presented like that. The success of a good ratatouille is the synergy between the ingredients, the melding of flavors. That’s what makes it a stew.

However, that does not mean that the cubed vegetables (as this recipe suggests) should collapse into each other completely. Mushy and unrecognizable is not the goal.

The secret to maintaining the integrity of each vegetable is two-part. First, take the time to sear the zucchini and eggplant to give them a nice crust. Second, don’t cook the ratatouille too long.

​NOTE ABOUT THE EGGPLANT: The eggplant can be cubed with the skin left on, if you like. Some find the skins of eggplant bitter and if so, you can remove them. You can also take the time to salt and let the eggplant drain for half an hour to further remove any bitterness. Be sure to rinse and dry the cubed eggplant if you do this step.

NOTE ABOUT THE ZUCCHINI: Make sure you let the zucchini (and eggplant) get a nice brown crust. Don't overcrowd the pan while searing the vegetables; you may need to do it in several batches. It's worth the effort: you gain some texture to the vegetables that will keep them from becoming mushy.

NOTE ABOUT PEPPERS: This is another place where you can take liberties. If you love peppers and onions, feel free to cut them bigger. Adjust the size according to how much of their presence you want to see in the stew. I love them medium sized and deeply caramelized.

THE RECIPEServes 4 to 6 people

1 pound Zucchini, diced medium 1 pound Eggplant, peeled, seeded and drained on paper towels, then diced medium1 medium or 2 small yellow onions, diced medium2 Bell peppers of one or various colors, diced medium1 head Garlic, chopped2 pounds fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped rough 3 Tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped fine. Any combination of basil, parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary or lavender.½ to 1 cup balsamic vinegar1 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste1 teaspoon black pepper or more to taste3 Tablespoons olive oilIn a large sauté pan or dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Pan-sear the zucchini and eggplant in olive oil in batches to get a nice crust on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.Add another tablespoon of olive oil and sauté onions, bell peppers and garlic until soft and deeply caramelized. Deglaze the pan with ½ cup balsamic vinegar. Reserve the rest if needed later.Add the seared vegetables in with the aromatics and tomatoes. Cover and turn the heat on medium to start to soften the vegetables. Keep a careful eye on the stove and adjust the heat if the vegetables are cooking too fast. The lid will help to keep the juices steaming. Add ½ cup water or more balsamic if the pan is running dry.When the vegetables are soft, add at least 3 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary, parsley and thyme. Add 1 teaspoon salt and fresh cracked pepper or more to taste.​

Looking across the field at the ruby dots suspended amongst tangles of vine, my eyes find inspiration. Especially in the late afternoon when the sun is hitting the field just right, casting a haze on the landscape as I look through my camera lens. I think of cherry tomatoes like most kinds of berries: radiant jewels in the garden. Harvesting them is a treasure hunt. When ripe, they release into your hand with ease. So do the larger tomatoes, but let’s face it: little things are cute.​Picking them is a pleasure and if you are inclined, you can eat as you go. Kids are supposedly more likely to eat a vegetable they’ve had a hand in growing themselves. I would say that’s true for adults too.

Pan-seared is my favorite way to eat them. I love the way little tomatoes pop and roll around in a hot pan. With enough heat and space in the pan, the petite varieties will blister immediately and begin to wilt. Less than a minute or so later, the tomatoes can be finished in endless ways: deglazed with a favorite spirit or fresh citrus juice or just a pinch of salt, for example. Then use them everywhere, from a garnish where vibrant color is desperately needed, to full-on side dish status.​Where I wouldn’t even consider buying a regular fresh tomato any time but the heat of summer, I have become more open to the cherry and grape varieties in the grocery store year round. With their higher sugar concentration, they tend to taste more like themselves even in the cold months. And my tendency to pan-sear them anyway makes the season irrelevant. Aside from a full sized August heirloom, I don’t eat raw tomatoes. I feel good about my tomato tendencies since common research shows that cooking tomatoes releases more of their antioxidant qualities.

The Recipe

1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, rinsed and dried1 ounce of silver tequila, bourbon or juice of one lime1 tablespoon or so of fresh mint, choppedPinch of saltOne half tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil, grape seed or other high heat oil

Heat a sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the oil and allow it to heat for a few seconds.Cool oil won’t produce that immediate sear you are looking for. Throw the little tomatoes into the hot pan and wait about 15 seconds. Don’t move them just yet.

Then start rolling them around in the pan and watch their skins blister. About a minute later, move the pan away from the flame if you are using a spirit and pour it in. Carefully return the pan to the burner. If the flame catches a vapor of the alcohol, it will flare in the pan. That’s not a bad thing. As the flame dies down, you know the alcohol has burned off. Just watch that you don’t set yourself on fire in the process.

Fresh lime juice or any other citrus will work fine, without the fear of fire.

Finish the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and the chopped mint.

Variations: other spirits will work fine here as well as your choice of herbs. Play around with infinite combinations. Another favorite of mine: bourbon finished with honey, fresh orange juice and fresh basil.

Author

prana is the common thread running through everything i love....the sun on my face...the sunlight through my camera.... breathing the ocean air... the sound of my breath...laughing with family + friends.but most of all....fresh, vibrant food! ​